Christmas is fast approaching!

December has flown by! I can't believe in 6 days I will be 22. I feel so young and old at the same time. I have done so much in my 22 years but I still have so many things I want to do! Its crazy how fast life goes by especially when you are busy juggling everything. We have been so busy getting ready for Christmas I haven't even had a moment to blog. This is our first year staying home for Christmas and not traveling at all. It's bittersweet to me. Half of me is happy to stay home with my beautiful family and start our own traditions. The other half misses my family and their traditions too. Paul and I are trying to make this Christmas really special for the girls since its just us four. I was reading about different Christmas traditions and one really caught my eye. It's already been dubbed the Christmas bunny in our house, courtesy of Audrey's fabulous imagination. Every night starting 12 days before Christmas santa's "helper" leaves a present at the door. I loved the idea of having a new book everynight to read together before Christmas. So after dinner when the doorbell rings Audrey starts screaming and jumping up and down saying the Christmas Bunny is here! I know its a silly thing but books are so important in our house and the look on her face is priceless.

Now on to our Christmas picture drama...ugh! I was a good girl and bought all our Christmas cards early this year. I hand filled them out and addressed them and everything. Then, I realized we didn't have a picture to put in it yet. So now comes me nagging Paul, who really doesn't enjoy picture time, to take a family photo yesterday evening. An HOUR and 75 photos later we still don't have an acceptable one. You would think with only a family of four we could manage to use the self timer and get one decent one. Nope, wrong. I ended up calling my life saver friend Rachel who came right over and proceeded to take about 30 more pictures. Needless to say, next year Paul and I agreed that we will hire a photographer in November and get family photos. We did manage to get 2 decent photos in the end so just know when you open our Christmas card and see the picture it was number 102. A couple of examples:

Audrey loves seeing the presents under the tree already. My mom sent our package out early so our tree looks just right. I'm actually pretty proud of my tree this year compared to last year's. I let Audrey and Peyton play with the ornaments and put them on then after they went to bed I went out and did the whole tree.

Paul's kitchen project is looking amazing! Unfortunately, he did the paint and we agreed the colors didn't look that great so he has to redo them this weekend. But after that it should be finished! I'm so proud of him. Now that this project is almost finished he is already thinking of the outside playset he wants to build for them for next summer. We should just own a home depot at this point. This is without the faucet, the oven door, the knobs for the stove and the stove burners. This is the primer before he painted it.

Both the girls are doing great. Peyton is using her sign language and words like crazy right now. Its amazing how much the baby sign language opens up the lines of communication and helps us avoid temper tantrums. Audrey is having so much fun at school making all kinds of Christmas stuff. They learn and talk about the advent wreath everyday. She comes home talking a million miles per minute about the different candles and what they represent.
I am thoroughly enjoying my little Christmas vacation from school. I can't believe how much lighter my everyday load is without it. I am so close though to being able to transfer that I have to push forward and not get sidetracked. Taking three classes next semester is going to be brutal and I will just have to deal!

Thanksgiving in sunny San Diego

Aboard the USS Midway-checking out the jets

The Cabrillo Tidepools

The Waller boys before surfing

Last week was amazing. Paul's parents decided as an early Christmas present to the family they would rent a house in Carlsbad so everyone could get together for Thanksgiving. It was so much fun. The only negative part was that Peyton was sick most of the week. She had croup which is not fun at all. Especially because we were four hours away from our pediatrician so she just had to fight it off naturally. I'm all for taking medicine and feeling better way sooner than being miserable and grumpy...

We did lots of fun things. We went to Sea World which both the girls loved. I hadn't been there in about 5 years so it was nice to go back and experience it with the girls, my hubby and Paul's family. Grandma and Grandpa watched the girls so the guys and I could ride the big kid rides and get completely soaked. Keep in mind it was about 62 degrees out so we were freezing afterwords. Luckily we were smart enough to save those for right before we left. We also went to the Cabrillo National Monument and it was gorgeous! The view of San Diego from up there was breath-taking. After hiking around a little up there we ventured down to the tidepools. It was a bummer because the tide was too high but it was still a really fun place.

We had lots of beach days and the guys got to go surfing. They had so much fun and were completely exhausted afterwards. We were also very excited because Paul's Aunt Betsy, Uncle Corwin and the kids rented a house nearby so we got to spend lots of time with them. Audrey and Peyton adore Paula and Michael.

I have to say Audrey and Peyton have the best Uncles. My brother and Paul's brothers are amazing with the girls and they have so much fun together. I feel really blessed to have such awesome family on both sides.

Well this week is going to be brutal! I slacked off on my homework while we were gone so now I am swamped. Plus, I have finals next week.

Paul is a busy man getting the girls' kitchen done. It is looking so cute I can't wait for it to be done so I can post some pictures. We are still debating colors for the paint but I know it will turn out great.

Audrey is so happy to be back in school this week. The first thing she said when she woke up this morning was,"Do I get to go to school today?!" I had to laugh because Mrs. Teri asked how her Thanksgiving was and her only reply was telling her about the Christmas cookie Grandma and Grandpa gave her when we left.

Peyton is doing much better and I'm sure she is happy to be sleeping in her crib again. I don't think the pack n' play is that comfortable.

Good mood Thursday

The view we will enjoy while staying in San Diego

The beautiful pool

That hammock has my name written all over it!

Sometimes Thursday is my favorite day of the week. Audrey had preschool in the morning so it puts her in a good mood the rest of the day. Peyton gets me all to herself for the morning so that makes her happy. I know the next day is Friday which I am either going to a MNO or staying home and playing games or watching a movie with Hubby. Paul knows he will get to work in the garage over the weekend. All-in-all Thursday puts me in a good mood.

Just had my friend Amanda come over to take some pictures of Peyton in the Baby Mohawk vest she made. She is starting a business on etsy and it's really cute. If you want a unique Christmas gift or just something cute for your little one I will post the link to her website once its up. She is even making them in Audrey's size so I am really excited!

Paul is working really hard on the kitchen and it is looking amazing. I'm actually a little jealous of the girls. I will probably get yelled at for locking them out of the room so I can play with it. ;D

I have been working really hard to get ahead in my classes so I'm not stressing too much during our San Diego vacation. I'm on the very last chapter in my Statistics class and I have only one more assignment in my Anthropology class. I can't believe this semester is almost over. I just had to pick out my classes for next semester and I'm pretty excited. I'm still getting a lot of the required classes out of the way but I allow myself one "fun" class every semester so I don't go too crazy. Next semester I my fun class is (If I get into them on time because it's always a race) History 2-the world since 1500 CE. In case you didn't know they no longer use B.C or A.D. now it is B. C. E. which stands for Before Common Era and C.E. for Common Era. Yes, that is my nerdy future history professor side coming out. I am also taking a music appreciation class because it's required. Well either that or I have to take band and no one wants to hear me plan an instrument. I am also taking Child Development: Birth-Adolescence. When I checked ratemyprofessor.com I found out the class is a lot harder than it sounds. But I have to take some child development courses so we will see how it goes. Just three classes closer to what I want to do!

Enough about me though. I know you only read this to hear about the girls. Audrey just had her progress report for preschool (I wish I was joking but they really do that in preschool) and it looked great. She has a hard time waiting her turn to saying something. When she wants to talk everyone better shut up and listen, at least that's what she thinks. But, as you know that's how every three year old is so no big deal. This morning I was woken up by Audrey climbing in my bed with one of my novel's from the bookshelf in our room. There are no pictures because it's not a kiddie book but she made up her own story and laid down next to me for 20 minutes "reading" to me. It was precious and I love hearing her make up her own stories. That is one thing I am so proud to have passed onto her. Audrey randomly walked up to me today and said, "Do you remember Peyton used to be in your tummy? She was in you forever and finally got out of there." I love how random things like this come out of her mouth.

Peyton is such an attention hog. If I put Audrey on my lap it is just unacceptable for Peyton, she must be there too. She really loves the days Audrey has preschool because its just her and I playing all morning. Once a week or so we have a playdate with other babies but she would still rather it be just us. She is social with other babies though so that makes me feel better. Sometimes I get worried that she will be attached to my hip for the rest of my life. The only time she wants nothing to do with me is when we are dropping off or picking up Audrey from preschool. Peyton loves to play in her classroom and act like a big kid. I know she will love preschool once she is potty trained. I'm trying not to get my hopes up though that she will potty train as early as Audrey did. Audrey was potty trained by 20 months which was really early. I guess I'll just have to cross my fingers that she follows in her big sister's footsteps for that.

A couple more days and we will be relaxing in beautiful San Diego. The forecast looks awesome for out trip and I can't wait! I'm sure I will have a billion pictures to share when we get back.

1 year old soccer star!

Sorry about the glare from the light. Our dining room wall was looking sadly empty so we decided to go with the vintage airplane theme because we already had the Italy one. So we picked one from Japan, Italy and France. I love them!

My handy husband is working on the girls' Christmas present and it's going to be so cute! Paul decided with no prompting from me what-so-ever (that's just how awesome he is) that he wanted to make the girls a play kitchen. We are getting rid of the glider which is in a corner of Peyton's room and it will be the perfect spot for it. Paul drew up the design and I was very impressed. One thing I love about my husband, he always surprises me. I know I shouldn't be because he has so much talent for a lot of things but he thinks of the best ideas and always follows through with them. So while he works on building the kitchen I am going to start sewing them some pretty little aprons. I may have to make a mommy sized one as well while I'm at it! I promise to post lots of pictures after he is finished. Its going to have a lot to it so I think it may take a month for him to finish.

It's funny because with all my schoolwork I always push things like sewing off even though I love doing it. I'm constantly saying, no I don't have time to make that because I have so many assignments due ect...ect...But Paul, knowing me so well, gives me the little push I need to do my homework tomorrow and do what I need to do today. Its hard sometimes, multitasking being a mom which includes way to many things to list, being a wife (also too many things to list), being a student, helping out at Audrey's preschool, getting involved with my church, being apart of the MOPS group...Going 100 miles per hour all the time is exhausting but I love my life. I have a lot to be grateful for and sometimes I forget that. Paul is the one that helps me slow down and realize that I need to enjoy life instead of racing through it like I tend to do. Sorry to get a little heavy on you guys, I just write what I feel at the moment.

On a lighter note, 13 days until San Diego with the Waller side of our family! I am so excited. I haven't been to San Diego in probably 4-5 years so it will be fun to go back. We definitely want to take the girls to Sea World and probably the zoo. There is so much to do there I don't know how we are going to fit it all in.

I saw Peyton actually kicking the soccer ball the other night and I had to get it on video. I am trying to get a video of Audrey and her made-up song that she keeps singing but she won't let me yet so stay tuned and I will try to get it! She is so stinkin cute!

Wait, is it really November already??

The beautiful curtains I made for Peyton's room.

Checking out all the candy they scored.





Two things that were screamed at me today: "It's not fair!!!" and "You're a mean mommy!" I always thought it would bug me when one of my kids finally said that but it just made me want to laugh. Obviously, I couldn't laugh while reprimanding her but I laughed about it later when I told Paul. I bet you can guess the exact words that went through my head when she screamed its not fair---come on I know your parents said it---Life isn't fair! However much I wanted to use that as my response I didn't only because I wanted to get down to the bottom of why her not always getting her way isn't fair to her. In regards to being a "mean mommy", I don't care if she thinks me keeping her safe is mean, that's what moms do.

Halloween was a lot of fun. We carved pumpkins with our good friends Will and Rachel. Our pumpkin was not quite as successful as theirs but it was a good idea. Paul carved Dora the Explorer but gave her fangs. Audrey was not amused. The first words out of her mouth were,"that's a scary Dora. I don't like her." Maybe next year we will come up with something amazing. Trick-or-treating was fun. We did the trunk or treat in downtown Tehachapi but it was packed! After waiting around for a while we decided to just hit up a few houses on our street. Audrey is still pretty shy which is my fault for drilling stranger danger into her, so she whispered trick or treat when someone would answer the door. Both the girls looked adorable though! Unfortunately, we didn't get any family pictures but we managed to get one of the
girls and I.

Coming up in the next few weeks... I will be signing up for my spring semester classes. My statistics class I took this semester is the last math I ever have to take so I am thrilled!! Paul is making Audrey and Peyton's play kitchen which will be their big Christmas present from us. His design is going to be really cute. Audrey has all kinds of things going on with her school. We are practicing her songs for their Christmas pageant. Peyton has some beautiful new curtains that I finally finished. Yes, I sewed them all by myself. Paul's parent's have rented a place in San Diego so we can all spend Thanksgiving together. We are hoping the month goes by fast because we can't wait to go and see his side of the family!!

Random funnies

It looks worse today because she picked at it. My awesome cousin Leah got the girls matching boots and they are so stinkin cute! Look at all those chompers. She has 20 teeth! Audrey adores Mrs. Teri! She is an amazing teacher. This was at their apple picking field trip.

How many times have I told Audrey to not run with a stick in her hand or she might fall and poke her eye out? MANY. Today I went to pick her up from preschool and she has some nice scratches right next to her eye and a busted lip. I bet you can guess how that happened!! Mrs. T felt terrible about it but it really didn't faze me and you probably know why. Of course I made sure she was okay and looked into her eyes and everything making sure there wasn't serious damage. But come on, how many times must I say do not run with sticks in your hand?

Audrey, always my funny girl, came running in my room this morning saying there wasn't any underwear in her drawer. I did all the laundry yesterday, folded it, and put it away so I was thinking, what the heck? I went and looked and sure enough there wasn't any underwear in her drawers. So I went searching around the house looking for 15 pairs of missing underwear. You know where I found it? In Audrey's backpack. I think she has some hoarding tendencies because she does things like that all the time. Not just with her socks and underwear either, sometimes she hides all of Peyton's as well. Now, when anything goes missing I ask Audrey first and 9 times out of 10 its in her backpack, her purse, or her pillowcase. This is another reason I always check her pockets before we leave school. She likes to hoard toys and forgets to put them back when she goes home.

I think Audrey is going to be a policewoman. She loves making people follow the rules and she is the biggest tattletale. We can be a block away from a red light and I will hear STOP STOP STOP MOMMY STOP THE LIGHT IS RED!!! Same with stop signs. Today she came home from school and told me all about how Lisa (her schoolfriend)got in trouble for not sitting quietly during story time. Then she says, "But I was good and I was quiet so I got a piece of candy, I was so good." At home, if Peyton comes anywhere near Audrey I will hear,"Peyton touched me!!!" She is so funny.

Peyton too cracks me up. She loves to climb in and out of diaper boxes. That entertains her for quite a while. Her favorite place in the world is the kitchen. She loves pulling every single pot and pan out and spreading them everywhere. Then she will move onto the drawer with all the spatulas and cooking utensils and proceed to empty it. She loves being chased around the house. She likes to wrestle with Daddy. In fact both the girls would wrestle with him all day and be perfectly happy. She loves to figure things out but at the first sign of difficulty she will literally grab my hand and make me help. For example, we have the Melissa and Doug puzzle pieces and if something isn't fitting in correctly she will grab my hand, put it on the piece and guide it to the board so I will put it in for her. Unfortunately for her, I make her do it so she learns I can't do everything for her. Both the girls love to dance! It doesn't matter what kind of music it is they both wiggle and shake and spin in circles, its too cute.

Peyton definitely doesn't like being told no. I took my camera away from her because the poor thing is on its last leg so she really shouldn't play with it, and she threw herself on the ground whining. I just walked away which made her even more angry. She just followed me around crying until she found something else she wanted to play with.

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I started this post yesterday and didn't have time to finish so I will finish it up right now. Audrey, Peyton and I were sitting down to eat lunch today and here is our conversation:

Audrey (randomly) "I will be your friend but only if you are a cow." Me "Uh...okay." -I know, genious response. But what would you have said?
(Meanwhile Peyton is just smashing her babydoll's face into the food on her tray) Audrey "Okay Mommy you better Moo or I won't be your friend!"

Seriously, what would you say to that? Half of me wants to Moo because I know it will make her happy but the other half says maybe I should talk to her about being friends with everyone because that's nice. I can totally remember being little and telling people or being told, "I'm not going to be your friend anymore! or I'm not going to invite you to my birthday party!" in the brattiest voices possible. I'm glad its just one of the phases that they grow out of.

Flu shots, gumballs and a spice rack

Do you love my fall decor?

This is how you know you are a domesticated housewife. I was SO EXCITED when Paul built my new spice rack for above the sink.


Last week was crazy. Peyton turned 1! She had her well baby check up on Wednesday and received her flu shot. I am all for shots and immunizations, however, I HATE when the girls have bad reactions to them!!! Back when Audrey got her chicken pox vaccine she had a terrible reaction with rashes, hives, and a high fever. Peyton had a bad reaction to her flu shot. She received it Wednesday morning around 9:30 and by 7pm she was throwing up uncontrollably. She was shaking and had a fever and could not lay down. I stayed up with her most of the night because, well, I'm mom and moms do that. Paul stayed up with us until 12 or so then got some sleep. I forgot to mention that my midterm is Thursday at 8:00am down in Bakersfield. So she finally went to sleep around 1:30 which means I got about 4 hours of sleep and then woke up to go take my test. I know I'm still young but 4 hours of sleep does not cut it for me anymore. Needless to say, my test score was not my greatest, I managed to get a C. Back to Peyton...the next day (Friday) she is fussy and whining nonstop so I called the doctor and she said of all her patients only 2 have had this reaction. She is doing much better now but that was not fun. I would do anything to trade places with my kids when they are sick. Its the worst feeling having a sick baby that you just want to get better but there isn't much you can do.

Audrey is so funny. We had to go to the mall to get her some more winter clothes and as we are walking in she saw the gumball machine. For those of you that know us really well you know our kids VERY RARELY get candy/cake/sugary stuff. We just eat pretty healthy. But anyway, she saw it and begged to have one so we told her on our way out if she has been really good she can get one. That morning she swiped some quarters off our dresser and stashed them in her pocket (apparently she can be quite a klepto sometimes-more about that later) so she was excited to use "her own" money. On our way out she was jumping up and down so excited to get her gumball and put her quarter in. It didn't work. It ate her money. She had two quarters left so she tried another. It didn't work again. If you could see the look on her face you would have bought her the whole machine. She was devastated to say the least. Paul pounded the machine trying to get one to come out for her. So she tried her last quarter and it worked! She was happier than a kid on Christmas. She was screaming, "Daddy went BOOM (she motioned hitting something" and it WORKED. It really worked. I'm so happy. Oh I'm glad it worked. That was my last one and it worked!" So all day she talked about how Daddy went Boom and made it work. She cherished that gumball for about 4 hours. Should wouldn't even put it in her mouth for 1/2 an hour, content on holding it and telling it how happy she was.

We are heading to the pumpkin patch this week so stay tuned for some really cute pictures.

Routine please?

Audrey's first haircut!



October has been/will be such a full crazy month for us. We love having lots of things to do but sometimes I miss our boring routine.

We went to Prescott last weekend which was a lot of fun. It's funny because I get excited to go and then I remember how much I hate driving 7 1/2 hours with two kids. I almost think it's worse with both Paul and I versus just myself because for some reason the girls are way more difficult with both of us. At least the drive back wasn't as horrible as the drive out there. Maybe that's because we left at 3am instead of 1pm. Either way, it's not a fun drive.

Saturday we had the girls' baptism at St. Germaine's. It was a wonderful ceremony. The Deacon that performed it was so nice and even had a sense of humor. Not something I generally associate with a catholic church, don't ask me why. Anyway, we had lots of family there and the girls did so well. Peyton got a little fussy while he was praying but she was bored, its not like she understood that you should be quiet during prayer! All she could think about was getting down and pulling all the flowers on the alter off. Audrey wore the dress my Grandma Sundquist made for me when I was baptized and Peyton wore a dress my Grandma Duthie made.

After the baptism we went back to my mom's house and had Peyton's first birthday party. We played a game called Quelf, if you've never heard of it, try it. It's the most random, funny, crazy game I have ever played. Audrey and Klayton ran around ALL day playing. Those two are best friends already. Peyton loved all the attention and received so many great gifts. I'm so thankful a lot of my family was able to be there because I miss being around them.

Sunday we woke up early and went to my grandma Duthie's house for her famous pancake breakfast. All my cousins on that side of the family were able to come and it was a blast seeing them and meeting my new cousin-in-laws.

The rest of this month is going to be nonstop. Today Audrey had school pictures and she had on such a cute outfit. Thursday I am helping out her class for their field trip to the apple orchard. Next week is Peyton's actual birthday and I have midterms. We also have to find time in between all this for Paul to go down to LA and meet with the coast guard recruiter to schedule his ASVAB and another test. Some of you may not know but Paul is going to apply to the coast guard's blue 21 program which guarantees a flight position after officer school. It's a very competitive program but Paul is the perfect candidate for it. We will see what happens...

Fall is just right

I LOVE fall. I have to say it's my favorite season. I love the coloring of the leaves, the cooler temperatures, the need to hang some festive fall decor, everything about fall feels peaceful to me. I am searching for "the perfect tree" right now for some beautiful fall photos of the girls. The problem is it can't be too tall or you won't see it and the leaves have to have all the right colors. I know, all these expectations over a simple tree.

We are gearing up for our Prescott trip this week. We leave either late night Wednesday or early morning Thursday. It just depends on what time Paul gets off work Wednesday. It should be a fun visit. I love seeing family and friends and catching up with everyone. Paul surprisingly says he is really looking forward to going out there. Never in my life would I think Paul would say he is excited to go to Prescott. HAHA. We are having the girls baptized on Saturday and following that we will have Peyton's first birthday party.

Even just typing "first birthday party" brings tears to my eyes. I can't believe she is turning one and walking all over the place already. I wish she would stay a baby forever and always want to cuddle with her mommy. She is driving us a little crazy though because of her picky eating. ALL she wants for every meal is a PB&J. Really!? That has virtually no nutritional value! Maybe a few grams of protein in the peanut butter but that's it. So we have been trying to sneak in fruits and veggies with her meals but her anti-healthy-food eyes always find it and she picks it out. We will just have to keep trying. Luckily, I'm pretty persistent when I want something so we will see who wins this battle of the wills. She loves to "share" things right now. Meaning she gives it to you but you must give it back when she's ready. We are working on that one.

Audrey is just a ball of energy. Some days I don't know how to keep up with her! Like her Daddy she has to be moving nonstop all day. Her art projects at school are starting to look amazing. She really takes her time and works on making them look just how she wants it. She did not get her creativity from me though, that one is all Paul. Maybe some art lessons from Uncle Steven are in the future?? She is still completely infatuated with rocks. Every time we go for a walk I have to empty at least 50 that she had to bring home in the stroller. I learned pretty quickly to ALWAYS check her pockets before doing laundry. It turns out the loud thumping in the washer was not just from a heavy load, she snuck some decent size rocks in her pockets that I missed somehow.

By the way, I thought taking statistics would be much easier than calculus and now I am seriously reconsidering that thought. Statistics is not such a walk in the park. I have to thoroughly apply myself to understand what I am doing. I do love my anthropology class though. It's very thought provoking and makes me question all kinds of things in today culture.

Pictures to come...

Vegas Baby

Well Paul and I took our first trip away from the girls in a long time. We didn't want to go too far and we didn't want to spend too much money so we decided on Vegas. You are probably thinking...Not spend too much money??? How is that possible in Vegas?? First of all we are not into gambling. As Paul would say, we might as well flush quarters down the toilet to see if they come back. So that wasn't a high priority for us. We also aren't big drinkers, unless you count 1-2 drinks per month as drinking a lot. Now you are probably thinking well maybe you just wanted to try all the good restaurants there?? Nope, we purposely picked a nice hotel that came with a kitchen so we didn't have to eat out a lot. But even without all that, we had an amazing time. We got to do a little shopping, during which we remembered how relaxing it can be without kids tagging along. We slept in a little and enjoyed a quiet breakfast. We got dressed up and went out dancing. We did lots of people watching because Vegas is probably close to number one for places that have the craziest people. Of course we missed the girls the whole time. Our hotel, The Polo Towers, has the coolest looking kids water area. It has all kinds of water toys and features so everytime we walked past it we would look at eachother and laugh because we were both thinking how much the girls would love it.

Meantime, my mom and Dean came to Tehachapi to watch the girls while we were gone. They apparently had a blast. Both the girls were excited to see us but sad to see them leave. We will be in AZ in October though for Peyton's 1st bithday so they won't have to wait very long. Hopefully we can see our CO family soon because we miss them too.

My mom told me that they were driving around and Audrey said,"my Daddy goes to work every morning." My mom asked her what Mommy's job is and Audrey replied,"she goes jogging." At least I have something to put on my resume right?

Paul had a really good birthday weekend. Can you believe he is 25?! I told him he's practically over the hill now.

Time just won't slow down

She obviously did not want to wear it as much as Audrey!










Is it really already September??? Seriously, it feels like Peyton was just born yesterday and Audrey is still 2 1/2. However, Audrey is an independent, sassy 3 year old and Peyton is practically walking and almost 1.

It has been one of those days where I feel emotionally overwhelmed because I feel so blessed. Let me toot my own horn for just a second...I have an amazing husband who I fall in love with more everyday and two beautiful, healthy, fun-loving girls that brighten every single day. I'm done.

Audrey...oh my funny, stubborn, lovely child. She is so much fun but she is so like me sometimes its scary. I have come to terms with the fact that I'm the most stubborn person I know and unfortunately I passed that trait to her. Sometimes I feel like she is already a teenager though! Yesterday I asked her to put her books on her bookshelf and you know what she did? She said FINE and slammed her door. That does not fly in this house though. She was in some deep trouble for that one. But, she is not always difficult...She has the most amazing, interesting imagination I have ever watched. She loves to fly in her airplane with Daddy. This consists of sitting on the floor next to eachother and Paul making airplanes noises while they crash and roll. She loves having ice cream parties with me (instead of tea parties). Maybe this is her way of telling us she doesn't get enough ice cream?? It is a rare commodity in our house. Dress up is another favorite of hers. She will put on her leggings with one of my shirts and all her play jewelery and then outrageous mismatching socks with her disney high heels. I will be sure to get some pictures. She is also a big music lover. When I am studying in the evenings and Paul is watching the girls I can hear them rocking out in the living room and dancing around. I'm thinking some ballet, tap and jazz are going to be something we get Audrey into very soon. One very good thing that Audrey got from me is her love of books. If she had it her way we would read every book she owns everynight. I finally had to limit her to 3 before bed.

Peyton is just a giggling, demanding, mama's girl. She LOVES to hide around the corner and play peak-a-boo. When I tickle her she has the funniest laugh. She laughs so hard it sounds like a screaming animal but she clearly thinks its the greatest thing ever. When she is not following Audrey's every move she is constantly in need of personal attention. She has the I-want-what-I-want-when-I-want-it-and-now syndrome which she is quickly learning doesn't happen as much as she'd like. If I am in the middle of making her bottle she is yelling because its obviously not fast enough for her liking. Audrey is a complete Daddy's girl and I was always jealous saying I hope the next one is a Mama's child. Well Peyton certainly is. She would be content just playing with me and being attached to me all day. When she gets hurt or falls down she will not be quieted down until I hold her in my arms and sing Baby Beluga. I will be the first to admit, my voice could make people cringe but Peyton loves when I sing to her. She loves to hold hands and walk when we go to pick up Audrey. I think she feels like a big girl walking around Audrey's school. Overall, Peyton is happy doing whatever.

Paul is up for his annual check today at work. I have no doubt in my mind he will pass with flying colors. He knows what he's doing and he's good at it. He's still happy at IFTA but we are definitely looking to the future and what he wants to do next. Oh and I almost forgot to mention, Paul is officially a Gold Seal Flight Instructor. It pretty much means he has an amazing pass rate for his students (meaning he's an awesome instructor) and it looks great on the resume.

Classes are going really well for me. Statistics is much harder than I was anticipating. I thought it was supposed to be easy??? No. But I love my Cultural Anthropology class. Its fascinating learning about different cultures and customs. History is still my love though and I still plan and majoring in it.

I'm Free!!!

From breastfeeding that is! Okay so the La Leche League would call me a bad mom for saying that but....WOOHOO!!! For those of you that know about our bottle struggle with Peyton you can understand that this is a miracle. I might as well share the whole story. (It's basically a novel)

As some of you know my mom was planning on coming last Wednesday for a visit. I was excited and stayed up a little late cleaning the house Tuesday night. Well I went to bed around 10:30, not unusually late, and woke up at 1:00am feeling incredibly sick. Paul did as well. We were both up all night throwing up and being horribly sick. Unfortunately, it didn't get better the next morning. So we are both trying, unsuccessfully I might add, to take care of the girls and run to the bathroom every 4 minutes. It was horrible. Paul was able to drink water but I wasn't because it came right back up. The poor girls were so good but they were starving because all they had so far that day were tons of cheerios. Finally my mom and Dean showed up around 3 pm and took them back to their hotel to take care of them. Unfortunately I became so dehydrated I had to go to the hospital. I was there for a good 6 hours before I was well enough to be released. The next morning we were feeling a little better but bad news, my milk was almost completely dry due to the dehydration. This was bad for Peyton as you know because she still refused the bottle and sippy cup. I tried all day to get my milk production back up to no avail. The next day I received a package that I had ordered a couple weeks prior and it was a different kind of bottle to try for her. Paul went out and bought a different kind of formula and we gave the new bottle a shot. IT WORKED!!!! I don't know if it was because she was so thirsty because I had no milk, if she liked this kind of bottle, or if the new formula tasted better but thank god she took her first bottle. So, the worst day I had in a long time turned out to be a blessing in disguise because my baby is finally off the boob for good.

Well Audrey is all about asserting her independence right now. Paul and I are about to go crazy. Some days she just wants to fight with us all day and I know I have to keep my foot down or she is going to walk all over us. We are trying to find the best techniques for dealing with her and so far none are working. I think I am going to try a book store and pick up some discipline books. Whoever said terrible twos were a horrible age obviously doesn't remember terrifying threes. On the other hand, when she wants to be nice, she is so funny. She was talking to someone while sitting on the potty the other day and I asked who and she said "God, and he's really old." I started cracking up. She has lots of conversations with God before bed and its adorable.

Peyton is still on the verge of crawling. But that doesn't mean she isn't mobile. She gets where she wants to go, just by rolling. You look over and she is just rolling over and over to get to something. I have to get it on video. Audrey is starting to actually play with Peyton and its so much fun to watch.

Paul is a busy man! His flights are really early right now so he is up at 4 am. Needless to say he is in bed by 8:30 every night. But his new students aren't terrible so that makes him happy. They also speak decent english which is a plus.

I finally made a friend in Tehachapi! I know I sound pathetic but if you met a lot of the people around here you would understand. I know I tend to be a little judgmental sometimes but some of the people around here are really "different". But anyway, I met my new friend Rachel at the park and we really hit it off. Now we kind of have a standing coffee date twice a week in the morning after we drop our oldest kids off at preschool. I think our husbands will get along pretty well when we get them together. Some other good news...our yard is finally going to be landscaped. Our landlord kind of kept putting us off because she was so busy but she is coming this weekend to finalize and give the go-ahead on the plans! We are beyond thrilled!

You can always check out our up-to-date pictures at
http://picasaweb.google.com/WallerFamPhotos

Well our big girl turned 3 yesterday! I cannot believe that three years ago Audrey was born. We had a pretty laid back day. After asking her what she wanted to do she replied, "I want to find rocks." (Jim and Aunt Mary I know that makes your proud!) So that's what we did during the morning up in the mountains. After nap time we made cupcakes and frosted them and had our little family party and opened a few presents. Her big present will be this Friday when we take her to Disneyland. I don't know who is more excited though, me or her? I love Disneyland.

Peyton is so close to crawling. She is up on all fours and rocking back and forth and scooting backwards. Any day now I am going to be chasing after her and Audrey. Oh boy won't that make life exciting!

Paul is getting ready to start with his new students. He says he is looking forward to it but he thinks after the first 3 missions he is going to be sick of it again haha. He is signing up to take the test to get his gold seal for flight instructing. I am so proud of him!

I am getting ready to start two more summer courses. Back to the books I go. It has been nice having a little break. We spent a week in Denver with Paul's family and it was amazing. It was so nice to be with family and do a lot of fun things. Plus, Paul and I got some time together child-free which can be really nice! (And help us retain a small portion of our sanity) Then, the day after we got back my Grandma and Grandpa Duthie came out to visit for 4 days. I missed them so much and it was great spending time together.

We are looking forward to Disneyland this Friday and then my mom and Dean come to visit a few days after that! I am loving all this family time! It can be really difficult living so far from family.

You can always see our up to date pictures by going to

http://picasaweb.google.com/WallerFamPhotos

So close!

Audrey and Shiba

Hiking 10 miles from our house





I am so close to the end of this semester! I have a final 10 minute speech to give on Monday. I have one more exam and a final in History and 2 more exams in math. I have to toot my own horn a little bit and tell everybody how great I am doing in history. I received a 106% on the first exam and a 120% on the second exam in history. There is always an extra credit essay you can try so that is how I was able to get the higher score. I have no doubt that history is what I want to major in once I transfer to a university.

Enough about boring me...haha I know you all check this to hear about the girls! Audrey is so funny. I stubbed my toe the other day and it brought tears to my eyes so she said "Mommy don't be sad. If I kiss you, you will be better." She loves helping me in the kitchen. Anytime she is grumpy I just ask if she wants to help me bake and she perks right up. She also loves helping daddy in the garage with his tools. She tells me all about her new school which she loves. Even though I loved her last one this one is great because its smaller so I think she gets a little extra attention. I also love her teacher Ms. T.

Peyton is really showing her personality. She makes you aware if she doesn't like something. She knows how to control me already! Unfortunately she still isn't taking a sippy cup or bottle so it makes nights that I have class a little difficult. At least she is loving her solids so that helps. I have been making all of her baby food and so far its working out great. The doctor said the way I am making it is perfect and she says if people have the opportunity to do it, she highly recommends it.

Paul is getting a little break at work. His students finished their training so we had a big bbq at his group leader's house. It was a lot of fun. I can't say I have spent much time with Japanese people so it was great learning more about them. They have some funny games. One is sort of like pin the tail on the donkey or hitting a pinata. You tie something over your eyes and spin around a stick. Then you try to wack a watermelon that is on the ground as people are coaching you where to go. So funny to watch. Paul did surprisingly well too. Audrey loved being the center of attention with all the students. After about a month Paul will get on with the next class and fly the bonanza again.

We are heading out to CO next month and I am so excited! Every weekend we have something going on. We fly out to CO and when we get back my grandparents visit. Then we have Audrey's birthday. The week after that we are taking her to Disneyland to celebrate. The weekend after that my mom and Dean are coming out to visit. Should be exciting!!

Check out my picasa album for more pictures.
http://picasaweb.google.com/WallerFamPhotos